Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article
about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003,
page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany),
Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and
Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common.
He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism.
The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic
mottos, slogans, symbols, songs,
and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag
symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

Because of fear
of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist
regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in
certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the
other way or even approve of torture, summary executions,
assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the
need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial ,
ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists;
socialists, terrorists, etc.

Supremacy of the Military

Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate
amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is
neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Rampant Sexism

The governments of fascist nations tend to
be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes,
traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to
abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and
national policy.

Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes to media is directly
controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is
indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic
media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war
time, is very common.

Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a
motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Religion and Government are Intertwined

Governments in
fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the
nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious
rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even
when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed
to the government's policies or actions.

Corporate Power is Protected

The industrial and business
aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the
government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial
business/government relationship and power elite.

Labor Power is Suppressed

Because the organizing power of
labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor
unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely
suppressed .

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts

Fascist nations
tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education,
and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other
academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in
the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to
fund the arts.

Obsession with Crime and Punishment

Under fascist regimes,
the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The
people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even
forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often
a national police force with virtually unlimited power in
fascist nations.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost
always are governed by groups of friends and associates who
appoint each other to government positions and use governmental
power and authority to protect their friends from
accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for
national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even
outright stolen by government leaders.

Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist
nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are
manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of
opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting
numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of
the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries
to manipulate or control elections.